Michigan's Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infants and Toddlers

In 2011, the Office of Great Start was created by Executive Order to lead the Great Start System to achieve the following prenatal to age 8 outcomes:

1. Children are born healthy,
2. Children are healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to third grade,
3. Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at the time of school entry, and
4. Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade.

To achieve these outcomes, a project to update, expand, and revise the Early Childhood Standards of Quality documents was undertaken, and subsequently approved by the State Board of Education on March 12, 2013. The revised infant-toddler standards describe early development, organized into five strands:

• well-being,
• belonging,
• exploration,
• communication, and
• contribution.

Each strand offers goals, examples of skill development, and examples of caregiver strategies for supporting that development. The second half of the Standards describes the Quality Program Standards for Infant and Toddler Programs. Topics include: funding, community support, physical and mental health, nutrition and safety, staffing and professional development, program environment, curriculum, and child and program assessment.